At South London News (SLN), we pride ourselves on being the trusted voice for our local communities. As journalism evolves to include artificial intelligence (AI), our commitment to transparency and truth remains steadfast. This Code of Ethics defines how we utilize technology while ensuring that human accountability stays at the heart of everything we publish.
Editorial Responsibility and Human Oversight
AI may assist in the “heavy lifting” of data and drafting, but humans remain the authors of our integrity.
- Editor-Led Content: No story reaches our readers without being reviewed and vetted by a human editor.
- Human Judgment: We do not allow AI to make editorial decisions. Matters of public interest require the empathy and nuance that only a local journalist can provide.
- Total Accountability: South London News remains fully responsible for the accuracy and fairness of all material, regardless of the tools used to produce it.
Accuracy and Verification
In an era of rapid information, being right is more important than being first.
- Rigorous Fact-Checking: We independently verify every claim, quote, and data point provided by AI-assisted tools.
- Informational Use Only: We treat AI outputs as starting points for research, not as verified facts or authoritative sources.
- Verification Standards: We strictly prohibit the publication of speculative or misleading AI-generated content.
Transparency and Disclosure
Trust is built on honesty about our process.
- Full Disclosure: We clearly inform our audience when AI tools have been used in a meaningful way to help create a story.
- Honest Authorship: We do not pass off AI-generated material as purely human-authored work. We value the “Byline” as a mark of human effort.
Fairness, Bias, and Inclusivity
South London is a vibrant, diverse community, and our reporting must reflect that fairly.
- Actively Policing Bias: We recognize that AI can carry inherent biases. Our editors actively monitor and remove any discriminatory or harmful language from AI-assisted content.
- Balanced Representation: We ensure that our use of technology supports a fair and inclusive representation of all individuals and neighborhoods across South London.
- Rejection of Harm: We do not use tools that generate or promote hate speech, misinformation, or social division.
Privacy and Data Protection
We protect the people we cover.
- Ethical Data Use: We do not use AI to process personal data without a clear, lawful, and ethical justification.
- Respect for Privacy: South London News forbids the use of AI for intrusive surveillance or the invasion of private lives.
- Confidentiality: We apply the same high standards of protection to sensitive information and sources, whether the reporting is traditional or tech-assisted.
Prohibited Uses of AI
To maintain our standing as a reliable news source, we strictly forbid:
- Fabrication: We will never use AI to invent quotes, people, or events.
- Deepfakes: We do not create or share deceptive AI-generated images, audio, or video.
- Propaganda: We reject the use of automation to manipulate public opinion or spread false narratives.
- Plagiarism: We ensure all content respects copyright and original authorship.
Source Integrity and Attribution
We believe in giving credit where it is due.
- Original Source Credit: When a story is broken by another journalist or news outlet, South London News will clearly attribute the work to the original creator.
- Verifiable Sources: All facts and claims must come from credible, human-verified sources—not AI hallucinations.
- Intellectual Honesty: We do not present summaries of other people’s reporting as our own exclusive work.
Continuous Review and Improvement
As technology moves forward, so do our standards.
- Ongoing Training: We invest in training our staff on the ethical and professional use of AI.
- Policy Updates: This Code of Ethics is a living document, regularly reviewed to meet the latest legal and professional benchmarks.
Our Commitment
South London News is dedicated to using technology to strengthen local journalism, not undermine it. AI is a tool to improve our efficiency, but it will never replace our responsibility to the truth. Our mission remains: To inform, engage, and serve South London with unwavering integrity.
